The Text Message
by LivandElforlife
Summary: Elliot and Olivia's relationship becomes strictly professional after her relationship with Dean Porter heats up, but will a text message change that?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't written anything in such a long time ... I've been really busy !**

**Disclaimer: not mine.**

Elliot and Olivia were the last two in the precinct. It was a Wednesday night and neither of them had any plans and a shit load of paperwork left to do. Olivia was dating Dean Porter. She was hoping to keep things quiet and keep it out of the work place but Dean had a different plan. He knew all about Olivia and Elliot's sexual tension by the people who worked with them. The day after their fifth date he had come into the precinct with flowers and her favorite chocolates.

_Flashback ... _

"_Oliviaaa ..." he called in a singsong voice. Olivia turned to find Dean standing in the doorway of the precinct that was crowded with people._

_Her thoughts immediately turned to Elliot and how he would react. She tried to sneak a glance at him without making it noticeable. Everyone was staring at her but she couldn't move her legs. Dean started walking towards her smiling at her obvious loss for words. _

"_I just thought I should surprise my girlfriend with her favorite chocolates and flowers." he said loud enough so that everyone could hear. This broke her trance. She looked around in time to find everyone turn their attention to Elliot, who was pretending to be consumed in a paper on his desk. Sensing the eyes on him, he looked up questioningly. _

"_What?" he asked as everyone looked at him with a shocked and scared expression. _

_Fin reacted quickly, "Well man, if you weren't so consumed with that paper in front of you, you would've heard me ask you to come with me to get some lunch."_

_Elliot knew Fin was lying because he heard everything that was going on, but was grateful for it and graciously accepted his offer. He turned around just in time to see Dean capture Olivia in an intense kiss. He felt his jaw tighten and his fists balled up. Nothing would be the same._

_End flashback ... _

In fact, nothing was the same after that day. Elliot and Olivia mainly talked about work related topics. Elliot no longer went out for drinks after a long day because he didn't want to have to watch Dean groping Olivia every chance he could get. The only thing that was keeping Elliot quiet was Olivia's happiness. Her happiness was one of the most important things to him and he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize it.

In reality, Olivia wasn't happy with Dean. She always pretended like she was, hoping that it would stick one day. She didn't want to be thinking about Elliot whenever she was out with Dean or whenever she was having sex with Dean. She didn't want to be wishing it was him she was with instead of Dean.

Elliot's voice cut through the thick silence of the precinct. "No hot date tonight, Liv?"

Olivia smiled at him. "Nope, I'm all alone tonight. How about you?"

Elliot looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, right." The truth was, Elliot hadn't been on a date since his divorce. He couldn't bear the thought of being with anyone except Olivia. His nights were spent trying to pinpoint the time when he fell completely in love with his partner. Before Olivia started dating Dean, he was trying to find the balls to ask her out. Now the only thing stopping him was the fact that she seemed happy and he didn't want to take that away from her.

"Are you ok, El?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, it's just that you've been staring at me for the past couple of minutes and I can't figure out why. Do I have something on my face or something?" she asked as she rubbed her hands over her face.

Elliot smiled at her and looked down at his paperwork and half whispered, "No, Liv. You're perfect."

He could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't dare look up. He was afraid of what he might see. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and looked up to find her staring at him with a questioning look on her face. "Is there something you're not telling me, El?" she said jokingly looking at him.

Elliot forced a laugh and squirmed slightly in his chair, hoping she didn't notice. But she did. She sat up taller in her chair and leaned her elbows on the desk. "So, how's divorced life?"

Elliot looked up and was glad to see that she hadn't noticed his squirming, or so he thought. "It's ok. It gets lonely sometimes though, you know? But I have my kids with me a lot."

"That's good, El. So, no one special keeping you company on these cold nights?" she asked as she smiled at his expression and watched him squirm more.

"No, no one special, Liv. Why do you ask?"

_Shit, shit. Why did I ask? Why did I ask?_ She thought. She racked her brain for a reason. "Oh, I was just wondering."

She silently cursed herself at not being able to come up with something better. "Oh, ok. So, how are things with Dean?"

Olivia looked up into his eyes, she wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to tell him that she wanted him and that she wishes Dean was him on an hourly basis. She hated lying to him, but it was the best thing for everybody right now. "It's ok."

She didn't want to say it was good because it wasn't. Her and Dean were getting into fights all the time lately. They were always over something pointless that escalated into something bigger. "Just ok?" Olivia nodded and looked down at her paperwork.

An hour had gone by and neither Olivia or Elliot were getting any work done. "I'm gonna take off. This is pointless, I can't get any work done." Elliot said as he stood to get his coat.

"Yeah, me too. It's like my mind's blocked with something but I can't figure out what it is." said Olivia as she went to follow him. The truth was that she really did know what was blocking her mind - Elliot.

"Here, let me." Elliot said as he took her coat from her and held it out so she could slip her arms into it. Olivia looked into his eyes and smiled sweetly. She loved it when he did little things like that, he hadn't done them in a while though. She assumed it was because of her relationship with Dean.

"Thanks, it's nice to get special treatment every once and a while." she said laughing as they walked to the elevators.

"Oh come on, Liv. I bet Dean gives you special treatment all the time." he said as he stepped aside to let her get into the elevator first.

"Yeah, I wish." Olivia said sadly. Dean never did sweet things for Olivia. The only time he makes sweet gestures are when there are other people around. She always admired the fact that Elliot did things regardless of whether people saw him or not.

Elliot looked at her for a while, not sure of what to say. The elevator dinged and he made a movement with his arms to tell Olivia to go first. "I'm sure things will get better for you, Liv. You definitely deserve it."

Olivia smiled at the sincerity that she heard in his voice. They said their good byes and walked their separate ways. Olivia got in her car and cursed herself for not asking him to come over. She drove to her apartment thinking about him squirming in his chair. She couldn't help but wonder if there really was something that he wasn't telling her. Olivia got into her apartment and turned on the tv. After a few minutes, she realized that she wasn't even watching it and went to take a shower, hoping her thoughts of Elliot would go away.

Once she was in the shower, all she could think about was if Elliot was in the shower with her. His hands running all over her body and his lips trailing kisses all over her. The cold water pulsating on her pulled her out of her thoughts. "Shit, how long have I been in here?"

She got out of the shower and looked at the time. It was close to one in the morning. She wanted to call Elliot but didn't want to wake him. She got dressed in an NYPD shirt she took from Elliot one night a couple of years back that had "Stabler" on the back and navy blue boy shorts. Olivia sat on the couch with her cell phone in her hand. She kept opening it and closing it, mentally debating whether or not to call him. She finally decided on a text. She stared at her cell phone screen trying to figure out what to write. She finally decided just to keep it simple.

_Hey El, if you're not too tired come to my place. -Liv_

Before she could give the message a second thought she hit send.

* * *

Elliot lay awake in his bed when he got the text. He looked at it and he felt his heart jump to his throat. After months of not talking about anything except work, he was about to go to his partner's house at one in the morning. He didn't know what to expect so he took a quick shower and threw on some clothes that he knew Olivia liked. He drove madly to her apartment trying to think of all the things that could happen.

* * *

Olivia sat in her apartment pacing. She couldn't believe she actually sent the message. She would feel completely stupid if he didn't show. She finally decided that there was nothing she could do about it, and sat down on the couch waiting for the buzzer to ring.

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, keep it up ! Hope you guys like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: nope**

Olivia was sitting in her living room watching tv, at least that's what it looked like. In reality, her mind was racing with thoughts. _What if he doesn't come? I'm going to look so stupid. What if he does come? What am I going to say? _

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the buzzer. Her heart jumped to her throat and her palms became sweaty. She ran over to the buzzer and waited a second so that she didn't seem too anxious. "Yeah?"

"Hey Liv, it's me."

Olivia didn't trust her voice to respond so instead she just pushed the button to unlock the door. She ran to the bathroom to brush her hair and throw some mints into her mouth. She couldn't believe how nervous and self conscious she was. She laughed at herself as she turned the tv onto the sports channel for the recaps of the day's games. She couldn't think of what she was going to say to him when he got into the apartment. She heard a knock at the door and her feet became glued to the carpet. She wanted to run to the door but she didn't want to seem too anxious so she walked as slow as she could. She took her time unlatching the door, even though it was killing her inside.

She opened the door and took in Elliot's appearance. She assumed he wasn't sleeping when he got the message because he still looked wide awake. He was wearing the pair of jeans that she loved, mainly because his ass looked good in them but she told him it was because it was a good color on him, and a light blue shirt that she had bought him for his birthday a couple of years back. She told him the color brought out the blue in his eyes. "Hey." she said in a breathy voice.

"Hey" he said giving her the once over. They stood there in silence for a couple of seconds, both taking in the other's appearance. "You gonna let me in?"

Olivia smiled and dropped her head. She motioned with her hand to tell him to follow her and turned back into the apartment. When she turned Elliot saw that the shirt she had on was his and began laughing. "What does Dean think about you wearing my clothes?"

"I don't wear them when he's around." she said as she looked back slyly over her shoulder. Olivia couldn't believe her confidence boost. She heart still felt as if it was in her throat but her hands weren't sweaty or shaky anymore. "Sit."

Elliot looked at her as she patted the couch next to her. He looked around for a bottle of liquor, something to explain her behavior. When he didn't find anything he sat down next to Olivia and looked at her trying to figure out what was making her so different. Olivia settled back into the couch and looked at Elliot. "You know what I was wondering about, El?"

Elliot looked at her and shook his head. "No, what?"

Olivia looked at him, trying to figure out how to phrase her words. "When we were back in the precinct and I asked you if there was something you weren't telling me, you started fidgeting. Why?"

Elliot was taken aback. He was sure that she hadn't noticed it, but apparently she was just waiting for the right moment to drop it on him. He didn't know what to say to her. "I ..uh ..I don't know what you mean, Liv. I ... I wasn't fidgeting."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Elliot, don't lie to me. I'm not stupid and it's not like you can lie anyway."

Elliot looked at his hands and back at her. Her hair cascaded around her face. He loved it when it was long. When it was short, he thought it was sexy but he wanted to be able to tangle his fingers in her hair. "Well maybe there is something that I'm not telling you, Liv."

Olivia stared at him, not knowing what to say. She knew that there was something but she didn't expect him to tell her that there was. "Well, tell me."

"Fine, Liv. You really want to know? Fine. I love you, more than just a friend and colleague. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. When I fell in love with you, I have no idea, but it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. After my divorce, I was planning on telling you but I couldn't find the right time to do it. Then Dean came along, and you seemed happy. I don't want to take that away from you, Liv. You deserve to be happy." Elliot was shocked that he actually said that out loud. He watched her expression for a while before standing and walking towards the door.

Olivia didn't know what she was going to say but she knew she couldn't just let him leave like that. "Elliot, wait." she ran over to him and grabbed his arm.

She didn't know how to tell him that she felt the same way so she decided to show him instead. She leaned up and kissed him passionately. Elliot was shocked but he didn't object. Instead he relaxed into the kiss and put one hand on her waist and brought the other up to tangle itself in her hair, like he had imagined doing so many times before. Soon his impulses took over and before he knew it, he had Olivia pinned up against the wall. They broke apart when the need for air became a problem. Olivia looked at Elliot and smiled. "I love you too."

Before either one of them could say anything else, Elliot leaned in and continued to kiss her. Olivia began to slowly shift herself so she wasn't pinned to the wall. She started walking towards the bedroom. Elliot noticed this and pulled away. "Are you sure, Liv?" Olivia just nodded and pulled him by the shirt, recapturing his lips.

Olivia walked backwards into the bedroom, pushing the door closed, still kissing Elliot. She began tugging at the hem of his shirt. She didn't want to wait any longer and pulled it over his head and threw it to the side of them. Olivia continued to walk backwards until she felt the bed, by this time they were both almost completely undressed except for Elliot's boxers and Olivia's thong. Elliot pushed Olivia down on the bed before climbing on top of her. He moved his lips down to her neck and smiled as she moaned in delight. He slowly teased her trailing kisses around her breasts. She arched her back, silently begging him to please her. He continued his trail down her stomach and then back up. He reached his hands down and slid her thong down her legs, as Olivia slid his boxers over his hips and down his legs. "Condom?"

Olivia shook her head. "I'm on the pill, it's ok."

Elliot nodded and captured her lips. He slid into her and smiled as she moaned into his mouth. Olivia arched her back, pleading with him to give her more. All of a sudden they heard the door close. They both jumped and looked at the bedroom door which was still closed. "Oliviaaaa ... "

Elliot and Olivia's expressions of shock and fear mirrored each other as Dean's voice rang through the apartment.

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, hope you like it !**

**Disclaimer: still no.**

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other not knowing what to do. Dean was in the apartment looking for Olivia and she knew it wouldn't be long before he looked in the bedroom. She pushed Elliot off of her and frantically picked a tank top and some sweat pants up from the drawers and motioned for Elliot to get his clothes back on. "He's supposed to be in New Jersey on an assignment." Olivia said hushed as they scrambled to put their clothing back on.

"Well apparently he's not there." Elliot said bitterly. He was now sexually frustrated thanks to Dean. "I'm sorry, Liv. I didn't mean that, really."

"I know, El. Ok, listen go out the window and down the fire escape. When you get down there, wait five minutes then call me and tell me that we have a case and I'll come down. Got it?"

Elliot nodded as they began to open the window as quietly as they could. Once he was halfway out the window, he leaned back into the apartment and kissed Olivia. All of a sudden the door opened slowly and Elliot ducked down. Olivia closed the window halfway before turning around. "Dean? I thought you were in New Jersey for the week."

"I was. But they let me go early so I came here to check up on you. Is that a problem, Liv?" he asked as he walked over to her and tried to capture her in a kiss.

Olivia put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. "No, it's not a problem. But you calling me 'Liv' is. I must tell you everyday, Dean. No one calls me Liv."

Dean looked at her and his happy expression turned to anger. "No Olivia, actually there is someone who calls you 'Liv'. Elliot does. Did you forget or did you just not want to mention it to me?"

Elliot was still crouched down next to the window listening, he remembered that he had to call Olivia when he was down the fire escape and tell her they had a case and began to go down. "Elliot? We barely talk anymore Dean. You're the only one who keeps bringing him up, and I'm sick of it. If you have something to say then say it." Olivia was getting irritated at the way Dean kept trying to talk about her and Elliot's relationship.

"Ok fine, Olivia. I think you're in love with your partner and I'm not the only one who thinks that, but apparently I'm the only one who will say it to you." Dean was standing a couple of inches from Olivia, trying to read her. Olivia was too pissed off and too frustrated to deal with Dean.

Before she even had time to think about it, her fist swung hard to meet Dean's face. He was doubled over in pain, holding his face tightly in his hands. "You know what, Dean? You're right. I am in love with my partner. I love him and we're over. I want you out of my house now."

Dean looked up at her, shocked. He couldn't believe after years of her denying it and covering it up that she actually admitted it, and he couldn't believe that she actually punched him. The sound of Olivia's phone rang through the tense silence of the apartment. Olivia shoved Dean aside as she went to answer it. As she suspected, it was Elliot telling her they had a "case" and that he was outside waiting for her. "Ok Dean, you have to leave now. Elliot and I have a case and I'm not leaving you alone in my apartment. Oh, and I'll need my key back."

Dean looked at her, the amusement clear on his face. "Sure, Olivia. I bet you have a 'case', and I bet that case involves fucking your partner like I bet you do all the time."

Olivia rolled her eyes, and swung her fist into his face again. While he was crouched over moaning in pain, Olivia pulled him out of her apartment by the shirt, taking her key back as she did. "You're gonna regret this, Olivia! You'll never find anyone better than me, and you know it. That partner of yours will never think of you as anything but his whore."

Dean was standing in the hallway waiting for the elevator, trying to keep the blood from ruining his shirt. Olivia knew the elevator was broken so she used the stairs, taking them two at a time, laughing at the fact that Dean would be sitting there waiting for an elevator that wouldn't come. She got outside and looked around for Elliot. She saw the headlights of his car flash and she smiled as she walked over. As soon as she got in the car, Elliot's lips covered hers. Olivia returned the kiss and smiled. When they broke the kiss, Olivia looked at her apartment building as the doors opened. She laughed as they watched Dean stumbling out of the apartment still holding his nose, cursing as he walked down the street.

Elliot started the car and began to drive away. "So, what happened up there?"

Olivia recapped the events in her apartment, leaving out the part about her being Elliot's whore, and pausing to wait for Elliot to stop laughing when she told him about punching Dean. "I couldn't tell if he was more shocked that I admitted it or that I punched him" she laughed.

Elliot pulled into a parking spot next to central park. "Wait here." he said as he opened the car door. Olivia smiled as she watched him walking around the car to her side, and opening the door for her. "You ready to get that special treatment all the time now?" he said as he took her hand and led her out of the car.

Olivia laughed at him and nodded. Elliot didn't release her hand once she got out of the car, and Olivia didn't object. They started walking towards the park in silence. Elliot could sense Olivia's tenseness and wrapped his arm around her. "Are you ok, Liv?"

Olivia nodded and smiled but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Whenever she smiled at Elliot there was a special sparkle in her eyes that was only there when she smiled at him. "Liv, don't lie to me. I know you too well." he said smiling at the truthfulness of the statement.

"It's nothing, El. I was just thinking about what Dean said. That's all." she said as she snuggled closer to him, trying to make the conversation go away.

"What did he say?" Elliot's voice softened Olivia. She loved the way he was so sincere about everything about her.

"It was nothing really. I know it doesn't mean anything, he was just bitter. He said that I'll only ever be your whore and that's all you'll ever see me as." Olivia could feel the tears stinging in the back of her eyes but blinked them back before they could surface.

Elliot stopped walking and stepped in front of Olivia. He cupped her chin and lifted her face up so that she had no choice but to look at him. "Liv, you were and never will be my whore. I love you too much for that. When you started going out with Dean, I was devastated to say the least. I was pissed with myself for not telling you how I felt sooner. But Liv, don't doubt my love for you. Whatever Dean says or does, doesn't matter. Because I have you now and I'm not letting you go."

Olivia tried to blink back the tears but they were too close to the edge now. As few rebellious tears slid down her cheek, Elliot reached up to wipe them away. Olivia smiled at him and buried her face into his chest, breathing in his scent that she missed so much. All of a sudden, the bushes behind them started ruffling and Elliot and Olivia turned to see a very shocking sight.

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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I love all the reviews ! Thanks guys.**

**Disclaimer: still no**

Elliot and Olivia turned to see a sight that neither thought they would ever see. Behind the bushes, Casey and John were attempting to conceal their 'activities'. John was on top of Casey and both were completely naked. Olivia and Elliot stared at each other, not knowing what to do or say. Olivia was the first to lose her composure, she began laughing loudly and turned away towards Elliot.

"Oh my God, are you guys serious?" Olivia exclaimed as she fell into the arms of Elliot.

John and Casey looked up and frantically tried to cover themselves. "Olivia! Elliot! What are you guys doing here?" Casey exclaimed as she tried to cover herself with small scraps of clothing.

"I think we should be asking you that." Elliot said with a smirk on his face. Both Elliot and Olivia were disgusted by the fact they were seeing their friends 'consummating their relationship' but it was all too funny.

"Oh very funny, you guys. Can you leave now? We'd like to get dressed." John said, clearly irritated by his friends immaturity.

"You know what? We'll leave and you guys can go back to doing ... that." Olivia said as she pulled Elliot by the arm away from the couple.

Once they got a good distance away, Elliot and Olivia couldn't stop laughing. They sat down on a park bench, both doubled over with laughter. "I never thought I'd see Munch and Casey together as a couple, let alone doing that!" Olivia said as her laughter began to die down.

"They're an odd couple. I wonder if they'll work." Elliot said, the smirk still lingering on his face. They both looked at each other and knew they were thinking the same thing: would _they_ work. The thoughts of things not working out with Elliot hurt Olivia and she turned away from him so that he couldn't see the tears glistening in her eyes. Elliot felt the mood change from happy to sad and instinctively wrapped his arms around Olivia as they sat on the bench. "Liv, talk to me. I know you're thinking the same thing I am."

Olivia turned around to face him. She searched his face for a hint of the humor that engulfed it moments before, but found none. "What about our job, Elliot? My job is my life. What if we lose our jobs because of this and then we don't end up working out ? Then what do I have? Nothing. Elliot, I want to be with you more than anything but I don't want to lose my job."

Olivia knew that she was thinking too much and too far ahead for them but she couldn't help it. She liked having the sense of security that came with having a steady job, even if ironically that job was being a cop. Elliot looked at her closely, the smirk beginning to reappear on his face. "Liv, I think you're thinking too much. What I want to know is what makes you think we aren't going to work out? And who says we have to tell anyone about us? We can just keep it to ourselves for a while until we know whether it'll work or not."

"Elliot, I didn't mean that I don't think we will work. I just don't want to lose everything. And I guess you're right, we don't have to tell people. Even though I want to." she said as she snuggled closer to Elliot when the wind blew. "Maybe we should get out of here though, I mean unless we want to see John and Casey emerge from the bushes."

Elliot laughed and looked over. He didn't notice that their friends had yet to come out of their area in the bushes. Elliot nodded and took Olivia by the hand as he stood. Elliot and Olivia walked to the car, hand in hand, in silence. Elliot walked Olivia to her side of the car and opened the door for her, before getting into the driver's side. They drove in silence for a few minutes before Olivia spoke. "Hey, El?"

"Hmm"

"How long?" she asked as she turned away from the window to face Elliot.

"How long what?" he asked as he momentarily glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road.

"How long have you loved me?" she asked seriously, never taking her eyes off Elliot's face.

"Well, I always knew there was something different about our relationship but mainly I assumed it was because of our job. Then after you left to go on that undercover job for the feds, I realized that I couldn't get that connection with anyone. I tried to see if I could make that connection with Dani but it was no use. I compared everything she did to what you would've done. When you left, I was pissed because I realized that I loved you but there was nothing I could do about it. No one knew where you were or how to get in touch with you. So I tried to forget. But I couldn't ... can't forget you. " Elliot looked at Olivia as he said the last part. He wanted to make sure that she knew that he meant it and that he wasn't going anywhere. He obviously knew about Olivia's difficulty of trusting men and he didn't want her to get scared and run.

Olivia watched him as he shifted his gaze from her, back to the road. "When did you know, Liv?"

"About the same time I guess. I mean I always had feelings for you that I knew I shouldn't have had because of our job and because you were married. Then after your divorce I could stop myself from thinking more and even dreaming more and it started to get out of hand. Then when I took the job for the feds I thought it would help them to go away, but it didn't. I was completely miserable. All I wanted to do was get the case solved and come home. But of course Dean tried to keep me there for as long as possible. But when I finally came home all I wanted to do was go to your house and just fall into your arms, but I didn't." Olivia remembered getting off of the plane, hoping to run into Elliot on her way home.

Olivia looked out the window and saw that Elliot had turned onto her street. She watched as he sped up and drove right by her apartment building. She looked at him, confused. "Elliot ? Where are we going?"

"You'll see, Liv. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." Elliot replied, flashing her his Stabler smile that he knew she couldn't resist.

Olivia looked at him and smiled. She hated how all he had to do was smile and all of her problems seemed to not matter anymore. She reached over and placed her hand on Elliot's leg. She loved feeling the warmth that came off of him. Elliot took one of his hands off of the steering wheel and placed it over hers, and holding it. Olivia rested her head back on the seat and watched as the world went by her as they drove. It wasn't long before sleep consumed her. When she woke, they where still driving and the sun was just starting to come up. She assumed she had only been asleep for about an hour. She stretched and blinked before looking at Elliot who was attempting to watch her and the road at the same time. She laughed at him and he smiled back at her. "You're finally awake"

Olivia nodded and looked around. "Where are we?"

"We're driving."

Olivia looked at him and hit him playfully. "Well, where are we going?"

"You'll see in about two minutes." he said as he made a right turn onto a small side street. Olivia looked around and noticed that there was a lot of land and no tall buildings, she assumed they weren't in New York anymore. She gasped at the sight she saw when they reached their final destination.

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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hope you guys like it ! **

**Disclaimer: still no**

Elliot pulled into the driveway of a small beach house. Olivia looked past the house and saw a private beach just as the sun was coming up. "El ... What is this?"

"It's a beach house that I rented a couple of months back to get away from everything. I thought maybe we could stay for the weekend, I mean since you don't have any plans with Dean that I know of." he replied laughing as he remembered Olivia recapping the events in her apartment.

Olivia laughed and rolled her eyes as she got out of the car. "You're such a smart ass, El. This sight is amazing, I love the beach."

"I know."

"What do you mean 'you know'? I never told anyone that." she said as she looked from Elliot back to the beach.

"Actually you told me once when Casey called me to get you once night when you were too drunk to remember your own name." Elliot said laughing as he remembered the night.

_Flashback ..._

_Elliot was sitting at home alone like he had done almost every night since his divorce, when the shrill ring of his cell phone rang through the silence of the apartment. _

"_Stabler" he answered angrily as he glanced at the clock._

"_Elliot, it's Casey. What are you doing?"_

"_Well Casey, since it's close to three in the morning I'm in my apartment trying to sleep." he said angry that she was calling him so late._

"_Oh ok good. So you're not sleeping right?"_

"_Well Casey, since I'm talking to you, I'm gonna say no." Elliot said._

"_Ok, well can you come down to the bar near the precinct and get Liv? She's pretty wasted."_

"_Sure, Case. I'll be there in five minutes._" _Elliot closed the phone and threw on some clothes while making some coffee for himself. Once he was fully dressed, he grabbed the coffee and his keys and walked out of his apartment. He decided to take his car since Olivia probably wouldn't be able to walk the whole way to his apartment. _

_Elliot showed up at the bar and looked around for Casey and Olivia. He spotted Olivia on top of one of the tables singing along to the song playing through the speakers. He looked around for Casey and spotted her standing on the chair next to the table trying to coax Olivia down from the table. Elliot laughed as he walked over to where they were standing. "Hey Casey"_

_Casey turned and looked at Elliot with relief. "Finally, I can't get her down. She's been up there for practically twenty minutes."_

_Elliot laughed as he stood on the chair that Casey vacated. "Liv, honey. Wanna come down now? Casey tells me you've been up here for a while." _

_Olivia looked down at him and her eyes sparkled. "Ewiotttt !!" she giggled as she collapsed into his arms. "You're here!" _

"_Yeah, Liv. I'm here to take you home now, ok?" He said as he helped her off the table. _

"_I don't wanna go home, El. Take me to your house." she said seriously._

_Elliot couldn't tell if it was the alcohol talking but he decided it would be best if she was with him instead of home by herself either way. "Ok, Liv. Come on."_

_Elliot had to basically carry Olivia out of the bar and into his car. Casey thanked him and caught a cab back to her apartment. When they were in the car, Elliot laughed as Olivia seemed to be amazed by everything that passed by them. He jumped when he heard Olivia gasp suddenly. "Elliot, we should go to the beach. I __**love **__the beach." _

_Elliot laughed as he watched her return her attention back to the window. He loved seeing her so relaxed and carefree._

_End Flashback ..._

"Oh, I remember that night, kind of. I remember waking up in your apartment with a killer headache. You never told me I said that." Olivia said as she walked around to the front of the car.

"Well, I didn't think you'd want me to know. So, I just decided to wait until you weren't absolutely wasted and you told me on your own." he said as he came around to the front of the car where Olivia was standing.

Olivia smiled and returned her attention back to the beach. The took in the sight and the smell of it as she grabbed Elliot's hand and pulled him along with her as she walked towards the beach. She pulled Elliot in front of her and when he attempted to kiss her, she put her hand on his chest and pushed him so that he was walking backwards. "Liv? What are you doing?" he asked as he walked backwards.

"Nothing, El. What makes you think I'm doing anything? We're just walking." she said as a smirk began to form on her face. Before Elliot even had a chance to catch himself, he felt the cold water surrounding him. He opened his eyes and saw Olivia standing over him laughing.

"Olivia! What was that for?" he asked as he attempted to stand but failed.

"Nothing Elliot, you just looked like you could use some cold water." she said as she laughed at his attempt to get out of the water.

Elliot looked at her and glared, even though the smile was evident in his eyes. He reached up and grabbed Olivia and pulled her down into the water with him. Olivia screamed and tried to fight him before giving in and splashing him continuously until he loosened his grasp on her. Elliot smiled as he saw her laughing for the first time in a long time. Before he could give it a second thought, his lips were crashed down over hers. Olivia returned the kiss and broke it when she successfully stood up. She reached down for Elliot's hand and he took it thankfully. Elliot started walking back up to the house. He reached his hand behind him for Olivia to grab. When he didn't feel her hand take his he looked back confused. He saw her standing in the same spot with her arms folded with a fake glare on her face. Elliot shrugged his shoulders. "Ok, suit yourself. You might get cold out here all by yourself." he said as he turned around and kept walking back to the house.

He wasn't walking for more than a couple of seconds when he felt Olivia jump on his back. "You would've left me there all by myself, wouldn't you?" she said as she enjoyed the ride on Elliot's back.

"Never" he said as he continued walking back to the house, securing Olivia on his back as he did. They began walking back to the house, neither of them heard the shrill rings of their phones that lay in the car.

**A/N: Review !**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews and ideas ! Don't forget to check out **_**Olivia and Casey's night out**_**. It's an elaboration of the night in the previous chapter when Elliot has to pick up Olivia from the bar. **

Elliot carried Olivia all the way up the beach and back into the house, putting her down on the couch and flopping down next to her. "You know El, you never told me what happened that night. I bet I said or did something embarrassing. Come on tell me."

Elliot watched her as she braced herself for the embarrassing news she was going to get. "Well, when we were in the car you were completely infatuated with everything that went by the window" Elliot laughed as he watched her put her hands in her head and laugh.

"When we got to my apartment, you were asleep but you were trying to play it off as if you weren't but I carried you in anyway. And then when I put you in my bed, I turned to leave but you started talking so I turned back and you said 'Stay with me' and you had my hand in basically a death grip. So I walked over to the other side of the bed and got in and you were already half asleep but you moved closer to me. But when I woke up, you were still asleep and I thought you'd get all embarrassed if you knew you asked me to stay so I left. Then when you woke up and you thought I slept on the couch, I just didn't correct you."

By now, Olivia took her head out of her hands and was looking at him in astonishment. Elliot couldn't tell if she was mad at him for not telling her or if she was going to laugh. Luckily for Elliot, it was the latter. "Elliot! I can't believe you never told me that before." she exclaimed as she playfully hit him on the chest.

"You know what I was wondering, Liv?"

"What?"

"What made you drink so much? I mean I've seen you drunk before but you've never gone that far that you can't remember half of the things you do." Elliot said smiling at the truthfulness of the statement.

"It was nothing really, Casey was just putting thoughts into my head that's all." she said, not wanting to go into detail about the real reason.

"Thoughts about what?"

"Nothing, El." she said as she attempted to kiss him.

Elliot kissed her but pulled away before she could deepen the kiss. "Tell me, Liv."

"She was just reminding me about how long you've been divorced and how you hadn't made a move. Normally that wouldn't have bothered me because she was saying it since the day after you got divorced, but it was just the temptation of the alcohol." Olivia said as she tried to make it sound as casual as possible. She didn't want to make herself seem desperate and lonely before Elliot came along.

"Well, you know what? That's all in the past, now I've made a move so you'll never have to listen to Casey say that anymore. Now you'll have to listen to me all the time." he laughed as he pulled her back so that she was on top of him.

"I think I can get used to that." she said as she positioned herself into a more comfortable position.

"You're beautiful. You know that?" Elliot said as he brushed hair out of her face. Olivia tilted her head down and laughed. "No, I'm serious. I don't tell you that enough."

"Well, you're not so bad on the eyes either, Stabler." she replied laughing. They laid there for a while just taking in the other's appearances. It had been so long since they had a decent conversation and now there they were wrapped in each other's arms. For a while, nothing else seemed to matter, it was almost as if time seemed to stop.

Olivia noticed that she felt safe, genuinely safe. Something she never felt when she was with Dean, or any other man for that matter. She felt as if she could let her guard down, like she didn't have to be protective and strong all the time. "What are you thinking about, Liv?"

"Just how safe I feel when I'm with you and how I never got that feeling with anyone else before. That's how I know you're the one I'm supposed to be with." Olivia said, she was surprised at how different her voice sounded. It sounded completely and utterly sincere, which shouldn't have surprised her since it was completely and utterly true.

Elliot just nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Well you better get used to that feeling, because it's never going away."

They were silent for several minutes, both thinking about the same thing - their future together. All of a sudden, Olivia thought she heard something ringing. "El? Do you hear that?" she asked as she sat up to see if she could hear better.

"No, what is it?" he asked, the protector in him kicking into gear.

"No, nothing like that. I hear ringing. I think our phones are ringing." she said as she jumped up and ran out to the car.

When she got to the car, she looked at Elliot's phone. Sure enough there were fifteen missed calls and three new messages. She walked back into the house with his phone in her hand. She looked at the missed calls and saw that they were all from Munch, Casey, and Fin. She called the voice mail and put it on speaker phone so that both Elliot and herself could hear the messages.

The first one was from Casey:

_Elliot, I need you to find Olivia and get to the hospital. It's an emergency. I'm not supposed to tell you anymore over the phone. We're at Mount Sinai. Hurry. _

The next one was from Munch.

_Elliot, where are you? We can't find Olivia anywhere and we need you guys at the hospital now. We were advised not to tell you anything, you'll have to come and meet us here at Mount Sinai. Seriously man, I'd hurry._

The final message was from Fin.

_Elliot man, what are you doing? You better get Olivia and get your asses down here now. We've been calling you guys non-stop since we got here. You're gonna be sorry if you don't get here soon. _

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other in shock. Neither one of them knew what was going on, but whatever it was, it was serious. It required no communication as Elliot and Olivia ran to the car and got in it. Neither knew what to expect when they got to the hospital, but judging by their friends they had to get there now. Elliot sped through the streets as he tried to beat the traffic so he could make it to Mount Sinai within the hour.

Olivia stared out the window, she couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on. Millions of thoughts were running rampant through her head. She looked away from the window and reached her hand over and placed it on Elliot's leg. Elliot took his hand off of the steering wheel and held it, occasionally giving it a squeeze, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be ok.

Elliot on the other hand was just as scared as Olivia. He hid it a lot better than she did, but he was still just as scared. He was trying to think of all of the possibilities that it could be. After a few minutes, the possibilities overwhelmed him and the thoughts became too hard for him to bear. As Elliot drove through the streets of New York, he tried to avoid the main streets where all the traffic was. After a little over an hour, they pulled up at Mount Sinai. They looked at each other and noticed they were both still wet but neither cared. They had to find out what was going on before the anticipation killed them.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! And for all the people who continue to read even though I'm an evil writer and leave cliffhangers 24/7.**

**Thanks guys !!**

Elliot and Olivia ran out of the car and into the emergency room. They looked around frantically for Munch, Casey and Fin, getting stares at their soaking wet appearances as they did. After a few moments of looking, Olivia ran up to the front desk and demanded to know where the Special Victims Unit squad was. At once, the woman at the desk's face turned solemn and the sparkle in her eyes left. "I can't tell you anything about that, Miss. I'm very sorry. If you want more information, you'll have to go up to the fourth floor."

Olivia grabbed Elliot's hand and dragged him behind her as she ran through the hallway to the elevators. Normally, they would've taken the stairs but Olivia didn't think she could handle all the stairs with the way her mind was racing. Olivia didn't let go of Elliot's hand, in fact she did the exact opposite. She gripped onto it as if letting go would kill her. The elevator dinged and the doors opened, Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, the fear evident in their eyes.

Elliot stepped back to let Olivia in the elevator first. "No, don't let go."

"I'm not going to, Liv. Don't worry."

Elliot and Olivia walked through the elevator doors and pushed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator ride seemed as if it took forever for Elliot and Olivia. Finally, the doors opened to reveal the fourth floor, Olivia took a deep breath and gripped on to Elliot's hand harder than before as they walked out of the elevator. "Olivia, honey. I can't feel my hand anymore. Can you loosen your grip a little?" Elliot said as he rubbed her arm.

Olivia shook her head no as they continued to walk . They walked through the halls looking for any sign of the squad. Finally, Olivia spotted Casey sitting in a chair of one of the waiting rooms. Olivia wanted to run to her and find out what was going on, but her body didn't want to agree. She looked at Elliot and pointed out Casey, together they walked towards her. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached Casey. She seemed as if she was in her own world, she didn't acknowledge the fact that Elliot and Olivia were standing next to her until Olivia placed her hand on her shoulder.

Casey looked up, the tell-tale streaks lining her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but only tears and sobs came out. She reached up and grabbed Olivia into a hug. "Casey, you have to tell me what's going on? Where are the guys?" Olivia said as she tried to calm down her friend.

"They went to get coffee." Casey managed to get out through the sobs that shook her body.

As if on cue, Munch and Fin came in with six cups of coffee. "How did you know we were here?" Olivia asked, noting the six cups of coffee instead of four.

"We didn't" Munch said as he handed them their coffees. "But we hoped you would be."

Olivia nodded and thanked them for her coffee. "Now, what's going on? Casey can't tell us without completely breaking down"

"I think you guys should sit down." Fin said as he pulled up two chairs and placed them across from theirs. Olivia looked at Elliot and nodded.

"Ok, it all started when we were in the precinct ...

_Flashback ... _

"_Munch, Fin. Did you guys order anything?" Cragen asked as he signed for a package that had no identification on it. _

"_No, Cap. Why? What is that?" Fin asked as he stood and walked over to where he was standing._

_Cragen opened the box and read the note that was taped inside : _

_Hello Don, I hope you've enjoyed these last couple of years because they'll be just that - your last. _

_Cragen looked around the room and immediately knew that everyone in that room was in danger. "Ok, everyone get out now. This isn't a joke. I need everyone out of the precinct right now"_

"_Cap, what's going on?" Munch asked as he stood up. _

_Just then, gunshots rang out through the precinct and everyone ran for cover. The gunshots continued to ring out, Munch counted six of them. _

_When the shooting seemed to cease, everyone began to reemerge from their hiding spots. "Oh my God. Cap? Cap, can you hear me? Someone call an ambulance." Fin shouted as he tried to find a pulse._

_End flashback ... _

"Then we came here, but they won't let us see him. And I'm not going to lie, it looked pretty bad." Fin said as he looked down at his coffee.

Olivia was on the verge of tears. She didn't know what to do. Finally, all the emotions overwhelmed her and she stood and ran down the hall. Elliot knew exactly where she would be headed and after several minutes, went to find her. He took the stairs all the way up to the roof. He opened the door silently and looked around for her. Sure enough, Olivia was sitting on one of the benches near the edge of the roof. Elliot looked closely and saw the sobs that shook her body.

Elliot walked slowly and quietly before calling out to her. "Liv? Honey?"

This seemed to break her trance as she looked up and saw Elliot standing cautiously off to the side. As she looked up, Elliot could see her tear streaked face and when she didn't object he moved closer. Olivia did the exact opposite that Elliot had expected, instead of completely shunning him and yelling at him, she gripped his shirt and pulled him closer to her. Elliot immediately engulfed her into a hug and tried to soothe her sobs.

Finally, Olivia's sobs began to slow down and become less violent. Olivia still continued to grip Elliot as if letting go would make him unreal. "Elliot, I love you so much."

"I know, Liv. I love you too. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Elliot said as he pulled her off of him so he could look her in the eyes.

"How can you say that? With our job, anything can happen. You could be gone tomorrow and I'd have no one." Olivia said, slightly shocked that she was acting so vulnerable in front of him but she didn't care. She had to say it.

"You're right, Liv. I can't promise that I'm going to be here physically forever, because I won't. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop loving you, Olivia. I've waited too long for you and I'm not letting you go for as long as I live." he said as he wiped away the tears that stained her face.

Olivia nodded and looked down while attempting to run her hand through her hair, but it got caught on a knot. Olivia laughed. "I guess I should've done something with my hair before we left"

Elliot looked at her and shook his head. "No, I like it like this."

Olivia smiled and looked down at his hands, which engulfed hers. "We should probably get back there, we don't want to miss anything else today."

Elliot nodded. "Even though our day wasn't so bad." he said remembering them lying on the couch and in the water.

Olivia laughed. "Good point."

Together they walked, hand in hand, back to the waiting area. When they got back there, Casey had fallen asleep on Munch and Munch on Casey. Fin on the other hand was sleeping by himself using one chair of him body and another for his legs. Olivia laughed. "They really do make a good couple" she said as she pointed to Munch and Casey.

Elliot nodded and kissed her forehead. "Just like us."

Olivia and Elliot took three chairs from another part of the waiting room and pulled them over to where the rest of the gang was. Olivia and Elliot both sat in their own chairs, while they shared a chair to put their feet on. Together they drifted to sleep.

When they awoke, all of their co-workers were staring at them. "What?" Olivia said as she stretched.

"Oh nothing, we were just having fun watching Mr and Mrs. Stabler sleep." Munch said as he laughed.

"I wouldn't be talking Munch, especially after me and Elliot found you and Casey in the bushes." Olivia said as she kissed Elliot.

Munch and Casey's face turned a deep shade of red and Fin looked at them confused. Olivia then brief him on everything that had happened.

Just then, a doctor appeared in front of them. "Are you all here for Donald Cragen?"

They all nodded, awaiting the news about their captain.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Even though I know I'm a mean writer who loves to leave cliffhangers all the time. **

The doctor stood before them all, holding the news of their captain with him. It seemed like an eternity as the doctor introduced himself and shook all their hands. "I'm Dr. Jacobs. I've been taking care of Mr. Cragen since he was brought in. Now, he has severe injuries and if he survives he will have to enure multiple surgeries and intense physical therapy. One of the bullets cut through his liver, so we had to go in and repair that and stop the bleeding. Another bullet went through the shoulder and shattered it, but we were able to reconstruct it and he should have full motion in that arm. Now, the only thing I'm extremely concerned about is the bullet that grazed his spine. It's in a very difficult spot and there's a sixty percent chance that he could be paralyzed or even die from this. However, if we leave this bullet in, there's no doubt that it will end up killing him. His best bet is this surgery, I'll keep you informed and the second there is a change in his status and when we complete the surgery I, myself, will call each and every one of you. So, please, go home and at least try to relax, you won't do yourself any good sitting in a waiting room worrying yourselves."

All five of them nodded and thanked the doctor, watching him as he walked back to the operating room. They stood there, not knowing what to say, or who was going to say it first. Finally, Fin spoke up. "I'm gonna head home. The doctor's right, there's no point in sitting here getting all worked up in public when I can do that in the comfort of my own home."

The rest of them nodded in agreement and together they headed for the elevators. The silence was thick, but not awkward. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, some about their captain, others about their own lives. They all parted at the entrance to the emergency room, Olivia going with Elliot, Casey with Munch, and Fin to his own car insisting that he'd be fine.

The car ride back to Olivia's apartment was silent. Elliot focused on driving, pushing any other thoughts out of his head. Olivia, however, had nothing to concentrate on that could keep the thoughts from entering her head. She thought about her conversation with Elliot on the roof and more importantly on Elliot. She didn't know what she thought about him. I mean, she knew she loved him but now everything seemed more intensified. Everything in her life seemed to need urgent attention all at once and she just couldn't give everything her attention. When she finally pushed all those thoughts out of her head, she looked out the window and saw that they were in front of her apartment.

Olivia didn't want to ask him to stay, but she didn't want him to leave either. She opted for a statement rather than a question. "There's a parking spot over there." she said as she pointed to a spot and looked back at Elliot. He knew exactly what she wanted him to do and parked the car.

They got out and walked in silence up to Olivia's apartment building. He watched as she fumbled for her keys and knew that her vision was blocked by tears. He smiled softly and placed his hand on her back as she took the keys out. Once they got into the building, he took his hand off of her back and took her hand instead.

They finally got into Olivia's apartment and the silence seemed louder than ever. "So ..." Olivia said trying to break the silence that threatened to engulf them.

"Are you ok?" Elliot asked, moving closer to her. He knew that Cragen was like the father she never had and he couldn't help but worry about her.

Olivia nodded but didn't lift her head up to look at him. She tried to focus on playing with a part of the couch that had a thread sticking up from it. Elliot knew she was lying, he knew her better than anyone else. He knew she was on the verge of tears but wouldn't let them fall. He moved closer to her and engulfed her in a hug and sure enough the tears began to fall. Elliot was relieved that she was crying, he knew that she normally held all of her feelings inside and pushed everyone away.

After an hour of crying, Olivia fell asleep in Elliot's arms. He wanted to move and put her in her bed, but she looked so comfortable he didn't want to move her. Instead, he watched her sleeping and ended up falling asleep himself. When he woke again, he noticed that he was lying down with a blanket over him, and Olivia was nowhere to be found. He immediately sat upright looking for her. She smiled when he heard the sound of the coffee maker in the kitchen, and got up to find her.

He looked in the kitchen and saw no one. He then began looking around the house for her. He finally found her, sitting on the floor of her bedroom. He approached her confused and looked at what she was looking at. It was a photo album that was filling with pictures. Olivia noticed he was there and looked up and smiled. She moved over and patted the floor next to her. Elliot sat where she told him to and she placed half of the photo album on his leg and the other half on hers.

All of the pictures were of the squad, many of them containing Don not even looking at the camera. He assumed she took pictures randomly whenever no one was looking because in half of the pictures no one was looking. Elliot smiled when he saw one of himself looking as if he was about to kill Munch. "These are all ones I took whenever I wanted to remember something." Olivia said as she flipped the page.

He found several pictures of Munch and Casey talking and smiling, and wondered why he never noticed them always together before. "How did you take all these without anyone noticing?"

"I didn't use flash and I always hid the camera behind something." Olivia said as they got to the end of the book. Olivia stood up and reached her hand down to pull Elliot up.

"I'm not that old you know." Elliot said, laughing as he took her hand.

Olivia didn't say anything, but walked into the kitchen. She took the coffee and poured herself and Elliot a drink. "I thought you gave up coffee."

"Yeah, I did. But I need the extra jolt." Olivia replied as she added her sugar. "And for the record, you are old."

"I'm not that old." Elliot said laughing.

"You have four kids, the youngest ones are in highschool. Trust me, you're old."

Their conversation was interrupted by the phone ringing. Elliot and Olivia looked at each other and both raced to the phone. Olivia got there first and answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, Ms. Benson?"

"Yes?"

"Hi, this is Dr. Jacobs. I'm calling to let you know that your captain is going to be just fine. He pulled through the surgery remarkably and I expect a full recovery. Now, he's awake so you can come and see him whenever you like."

"Thanks you so much, Doctor. We'll be there as soon as we can." Olivia replied before hanging up the phone.

"So?" Elliot asked as he followed her back into the kitchen.

"He's gonna be just fine." Olivia said, smiling. "Oh and if you weren't old, you would've beaten me to the phone."

Olivia started to walk out of the kitchen but Elliot grabbed her and wouldn't let her go. "If I was old, I wouldn't have been able to stop you."

"Actually, I let you stop me. If I wanted to I could make you let go of me, but I don't want to hurt you." Olivia said as she kissed him. "Not yet."

Olivia turned and walked into the bathroom, turning and giving Elliot a sly smile before closing the door. Olivia took a quick shower and realized she didn't have any clothes in the bathroom with her. She laughed at her stupidity as she walked out of the bathroom in her towel. Elliot came out of the kitchen, "Finally, you've been in there for— "

Elliot stopped short in his sentence when he realized she wasn't even dressed. "Patience, Mr. Stabler. I don't just roll out of bed looking the way I do. But don't worry I'll be ready in twenty minutes."

True to her word, Olivia got dressed and applied all of her make up in twenty minutes. She stepped out of her bedroom and smiled when she saw Elliot leaning against the door frame waiting for her. "Ready?"

"Yes, I am." she said as she walked past him to grab her keys.

They walked down the stairs and got in Elliot's car. The car ride was filled with conversation about Elliot being old. He insisted that he wasn't and she insisted that he was. Before either of them knew it, they were pulling up the hospital and walking in. They got to Cragen's room and saw that everyone was already in there. They opened the door and everyone turned their attention to them. "Finally." Fin said, as he walked over to pull them into the room.

"Casey and Munch have something to tell us but refused to say it until everyone was here." Don said, he looked healthy and the color returned to his face.

Olivia walked over and hugged him tightly, being mindful of his injuries. "Ok, tell us." she said as she released the hug.

Munch and Casey looked at each other and smiled. "We're engaged." they said in unison, as Casey pulled a diamond ring out of her pocket.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews ! And oh my god! Did anyone else see the previews for next week's show?! I couldn't get to sleep at all last night after I saw them ! AHH !!! I can't wait :D :D :D :D **

The whole room went silent. None of them could believe what they'd just heard. Casey had slipped the engagement ring on her finger and was smiling a wide smile. Elliot and Olivia were the least shocked out of the crew since they saw them in the bushes, Fin stared at them as if they'd sprouted extra heads, and Cragen just looked at them with a blank expression on his face. "Well, isn't anyone going to say something?" Casey asked.

No one moved but instead maintained their expressions, until Olivia's voice rang through the silence. "Congratulations!" she said as she ran over to engulf her friend in a tight hug.

"Yeah Casey, Congratulations." Elliot said not moving from his spot. Casey looked at him strangely but still smiled and thanked him.

Cragen and Fin were the only two people in the room who hadn't said a word. "Well, what do you two think?" Casey asked as she sat on the end of the hospital bed.

"I think it's great Casey, good for you." Cragen said as he smiled warmly at her.

Fin was still looking at everyone as if they'd all went crazy. "Munch and Casey. I can't believe you two got together before them two over there." Fin said as he pointed to Elliot and Olivia. "I mean, everyone can see it with them, well except them of course. With all the sexual tension and everything, it's amazing they can still work together."

Elliot laughed and wrapped his arm around Olivia. "Well ..." he said as he looked at her.

"Well ... we did realize it actually. Not before Munch and Casey, but we still did." Olivia said, watching Cragen closely for his expression.

Cragen burst out laughing and everyone looked at him oddly. "Finally. I thought I would die before you two realized that you're supposed to be together. But Munch, you're with Elliot and Fin, you're with Olivia if anyone asks. I'm willing to let you guys work together as long as you keep all your fights about houses and kids out of the precinct."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other. "Who said anything about houses and kids?" Olivia asked as she sat near Casey at the end of the bed.

"I did." Elliot said. Olivia looked up at him questioningly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, I was just saying that maybe I was thinking about having a house and kids." he said as he went to stand behind her.

"Elliot, you have a house and kids. The youngest of which are in highschool I might add." she said, trying to incorporate the fact that Elliot was old into the conversation.

"No, I had a house and I have kids with Kathy. And don't get me wrong I love my kids to death, but who's to say I don't want more kids - with you." Elliot said.

Fin and Munch stared at them intently. They had waited almost ten years for this and they were sure it was going to be big. "So, you're saying you want to get married to me, have a house with me, and have kids with me?" Olivia asked.

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, basically."

"So, is this a proposal, Mr. Stabler?" she asked as she stood so she was directly in front of him.

Elliot pretended to think it over, then a broad smile came over his face and he nodded. "Yes, this is a proposal, Ms. Benson."

All of a sudden, Elliot slipped his hand into his pocket and took out a diamond ring. "So, what do you say?" he asked as he held the ring out in front of her.

Olivia stared at the ring and Elliot. She couldn't believe he was proposing to her, in front of their friends and Captain. "When did you possibly have time to get this?" she asked as she took it from his hands.

Elliot smiled as he watched her examine the ring. "Well, when we were on our way down to the beach house, you fell asleep and I figured it was as good a time as any to get it. So, while you were sleeping I stopped at a jewelry store and picked it out. By the time I got back in the car, you were still sleeping so I slipped it into the arm rest of the car."

Olivia looked at him, then back at the ring that she had already slipped onto her finger. She laughed as she engulfed him in a hug. "I'll take that as a yes." Elliot said laughing.

"Good, because it is a yes." Olivia said, just before she kissed him.

The two were completely oblivious to the fact that they were still in a room with people until Cragen cleared his throat. The two jumped apart, as if they were two teenagers getting caught. Cragen laughed. "I don't think you guys have to do that anymore."

Olivia laughed and looked around the room. Fin and Munch had a look of pure shock on their faces. After ten years of waiting it finally happened. "Ten years. Ten years of fighting and sexual tension and lost bets. I can't believe it took you guys ten years to figure out what everybody else figured out in ten days - that you guys are made for each other." Munch said.

"Well that's your fault for betting on us anyway." Olivia laughed.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Casey said as she stood slowly. Casey ran to Olivia and hugged her tightly, swinging her around as she did.

"Casey...I ...can't ... breathe." Olivia said as Casey continued to crush her lungs.

Casey laughed as she released Olivia. Just as soon as she released her, she took her by the hand and dragged her out of the room. "Casey, what are you doing?" Olivia asked as Casey dragged her down the hall.

"We're going to get coffee. What did you think?" she asked smiling. "We're both engaged. How amazing is this?"

Olivia laughed. "It's pretty amazing. But, I have to wish that I didn't see you and Munch in the bushes."

Casey turned a deep shade of red and laughed. "Well. You were the ones who looked."

Olivia laughed and looked at her in astonishment. "Well, maybe we weren't expecting to see our best friends having sex in the bushes. I mean, we just thought it was a rat or a homeless person or something."

Casey laughed. "Wait, why were you and Elliot in the park that late anyway?"

Olivia filled her in on everything that happened from the text message to finding them in the bushes. Casey stared at her in amazement. "I can't believe you and Elliot actually had sex."

"Well, it was interrupted so it doesn't actually count." Olivia laughed and ordered coffee for herself, Elliot, and Fin.

Olivia thanked the waitress for her coffees and waited for Casey to get hers and Munch's coffees. "Casey Munch. It sounds weird." Olivia laughed.

"Olivia Stabler. I like it." Casey said as she laughed. "We sound like ten year olds with our crushes."

"Yeah, but we have something ten year olds don't." Olivia said as she flashed Casey her engagement ring.

Together they walked back to the hospital room making wedding plans. Olivia knew that the IAB would be on their case a lot more now, but it didn't matter to her anymore.

**A/N: This is the end of this story. So sad, I know. But if you guys would like me to continue with the wedding plans or something else just let me know and I definitely will. It's so sad saying goodbye to a story. teartear ( I know I'm weird. But you love it :D )**


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